Beneath The Blood Moon
by Mimi Kaminoro
Summary: A figure from Squalo's past comes back to haunt him. What happens when she declares her personal vendetta against him and will settle for nothing less than his life? Why is Xanxus acting so strangely all of a sudden? "You tell me. Didn't I tell you to never forget me? Especially since I would never forget you?" !Xanxus X OC! Chapter 3 REDONE :) CHAPTER 4 EDITED.
1. Chapter 1: One Hell of a Serendipity

**AN: Hey guys, call me Mimi. I eat manga and I drink anime. And I get drunk off of them. I breathe them. I love 'em 3**

**This is my first fanfic so I sort of want to know what you guys think of my writing style and if I should keep writing. **

**Flames will be used to roast my marshmallows, so please refrain from posting those. ^_^ Any sort of critique is great though!**

**Please give this story a chance! Read and review!**

**ENJOY 3**

**Oh and also. I love KHR but I haven't watched it in awhile so everything might not be accurate.**

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**Chapter 1: One Hell of a Serendipity**

_No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something that is unexpected._

* * *

"VOIII!" An enraged shout was heard throughout the entire mansion. "THE GODDAMN LIGHTS WENT OFF!"  
"Shi shi shi, it's called a power outage, Squalo."  
"It's probably because of all of the lightning and thunder..."

The angry night sky lit up every once in a while with white electricity, a deep rumbling signaling the approach of thunder. Under the wide expanse of sky and cloud stood a sturdy structure that housed none other than the Vongola's specialized assassination squad, the Varia.

It was a typical day in the...  
Frankly, to be honest, there was no such thing as a typical day with the Varia. The team had a tendency to take the most dangerous and perilous sort of missions and requests, completing them quickly and flawlessly, albeit using methods that couldn't be considered sane.

But they supposed that was okay, since none of the members could be considered in their right minds anyways; either that or they all had a few screws lose, including Xanxus.

"At least we're all here together..."  
"Shut up Lussuria."  
"VOI! YOU'RE ALL TOO LOUD, SHUT YOUR TRAP! BOSS WILL BE HERE SOON!"  
"The Prince doesn't take orders from commoners."

"VOOII! YOU BRAT! HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT ME TO CUT YOU?!"

The small talk -pronounced bickering- started, their own form of entertainment since, to them, everything was boring and nothing wasn't.

"Shi shi shi..."  
"Get your mind out of the gutter, fake prince senpai..."  
"Bel is a real prince, froggy."  
"Senpaaaiiiii, you're-"

A huge boom resounded through the mansion, making a few of them tense or stiffen; how could they not, when the noise had been beyond even the terrifying vocal capacities of their second-in-command?

"What was that?"  
"Sounded like Squalo kicking the front door down..."  
"VOIIII I'M RIGHT HERE!"  
"Idiot, it was probably thunder."  
"That didn't sound like thunder; it was too loud and short."  
"Then tell me, what the hell could it have been?"  
"Why don't you go check it out?"  
"Neh froggy, go check it out."  
"Why do I have to do it, fake prince senpai?"

The only response the kouhai got in return was several throwing knives that embedded themselves firmly in his hat.

"Hai..." The frog sighed and turned around to leave the spacious room.

Their abode was rather intimidating when there was no illumination to aid the eyes. Long and strange shadows seemed to lengthen and become more mysterious. If at all possible, the dead silence seemed deafening, an onerous burden on the ears.

The hundreds of minions under the control of Varia had a tendency to stay on their floor of the mansion; it seemed that whenever too many of them ventured up to the top floor where the top six members resided, someone always wound up dying or something of the sort. The household had a lonely aura that enveloped it; surely Fran wasn't the only one who felt it.

He sighed again and one by one, began to pull his senpai's knives out of his hat.

"I wonder why senpai makes me wear this hat if all he's going to do is poke holes in it..." The froggy singsonged as he dropped them one by one into their marble floor, each of them making a loud clang. "Stupid fake prince senpai is a-"

The green-haired kouhai blinked and stopped walking.

"Who's there?" Fran asked.

His voice echoed eerily in the long corridor, which had suits of medieval armor, old-fashioned weaponry, and anything else that constituted a dominating aura lining the high walls. The lights -as Squalo had so gracefully pointed out- had gone out, but that had only heightened each member's other senses.

Without their sight to rely on, their hearing abilities increased exponentially; that, along with their paranoia and sense of presence.

There was no answer.

"Oi, the fake prince senpai will stab me again if you don't show yourself. I mean, your entrance was really flashy and all but-"

Fran was cut off by another very loud clang. He looked to the side where the noise came from and realized that bars had come down over all of the windows. Was Squalo initiating the Cage at a time like this?

The froggy scratched the back of his head. Who on earth was so suicidal that they would dare to infiltrate the Varia mansion?

"VOIII WHAT THE HELL?!" Squalo's voice was sharp, piercing through the stillness. "FRAN GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"

Fran shrugged and turned around, walking back to where he had come from. The fake prince senpai had told him to go check out the clang, but the froggy supposed that the second-in-command's orders overrided his senpai's.

It was utterly dark if you didn't count the periodic flashes of lightning that illuminated the thick darkness every once in awhile.

After a few long moments, Fran opened the door to the room he had been in and spoke.  
"Osu." He said to tell them he had returned.  
"TRASH, THE GODDAMN BARS WENT DOWN! WHAT'D YOU TOUCH YOU-"  
"Squalo senpai, I appreciate your consideration for me and the rest of the Varia members but you honestly don't have to enunciate everything you say. Oh and you don't have to say it so loudly either."  
"Froggy, shut up and listen to him."  
"Hai, fake prince senpai."  
"You-"  
"VOI!" The silver-haired man bellowed. "I'M ASKING YOU WHAT YOU TOUCHED!"  
"I'm almost certain that there was someone in the hallway, if that's-"  
"I'm almost certain you should answer the goddamn question you-"

"Squalo senpai, I didn't touch anything, I swear." The stoic put his hands in the air as if executing the classic surrender pose. His monotonous tone of voice however, always made it seem like he was mocking the rest of them. "Ah." The froggy raised a finger. "Unless you count my feet. I was walking down the hallway so my feet were touching the floor. Oh, and-"

"VOII!" Squalo shouted angrily, expression furious. "The bars have come down over all of the windows and doors except for our rooms! Only the boss and I know the code to set it off and I've been standing here shouting my ass off at all of you so why have the bars come down?!"  
"The boss could've set it off." Someone suggested.  
"That's a really bad joke."

The defense mechanism that the Varia used when they had to deal with intruders was what they called "the Cage." It was rather ironic really, since the code was put in only when a considerable number of intruders infiltrated the mansion. It trapped their enemies in the mansion; the only thing that awaited them then was a bloody and most-likely painful death at the hands of the Vongola's cruel and efficient assassination squad.

It was a well known fact that Xanxus didn't do anything he didn't want to, and certainly, no one had the guts to make him. Only Squalo ever punched in the codes for mechanism and operations. It wouldn't surprise him if Xanxus didn't even know that they used codes and things of the sort.

"Beats me, shi shi shi…" Bel shrugged. "But hey, the Prince hasn't played a classic game of manhunt in a long time…"  
"We should wait for the Boss's orders first, don't you think?" Leviathan pointed out.  
"He's somewhere in the mansion and if the intruder's out there then he could get-

"Who do you think you're talking about?" The door was kicked open rudely.  
"Boss!" Levi stood up, eyes sparkling.  
"Shark. Go turn on the goddamn lights." Xanxus made his way over to the refrigerator and grabbing a beer bottle.  
"It's called a fucking power outage, I don't think you can-"  
"Did I ask if you thought? Go fix it, scum."  
"VOII!" Squalo roared in frustration. He'd be damned if he was going to say another word against Xanxus. His entire disposition seemed to scream 'piss off' today. Tonight if you wanted to get into technicalities.

Squalo left in a disgraceful flurry of long silver hair, slamming the door shut behind him, muttering unintelligible words.

Within a few moments, the lights came on, nearly blinding half of them.  
Squalo paraded back in, rage scribbled on his face. "WHO TOUCHED ALL THE GODDAMN SHIT IN THE CONTROL CENTER?! YOU SCUMBAGS ALL-"  
"Shi shi shi…"  
"Shut up, trash." Xanxus said, blinking twice to allow his eyes to adjust. "So goddamn loud."  
"Boss, where have you been?"  
"Does it really matter?"  
"Shi shi shi shi…"  
"Fake prince senpai, your laugh is creepy. What are you laughing ab-"

"VOIII!" Squalo shouted, even louder than he normally did.  
"Goddammit, I just told you to SHUT THE FUCK-" Xanxus started.

"HOW THE FUCKING-?!" Squalo waved his sword around, pointing in the general area of the back corner of the room.  
The other four members of the Varia –excluding Xanxus of course, because the bastard might as well have been immune to fucking life- jumped back and proceeded to be utterly confounded.

"What is this scum doing here?" Xanxus snarled, drawing his guns and drawing his flame. "And what have you trash been doing?!" He shouted at the rest of the Varia.  
"For the record," Fran raised his hand. "I told you guys!"

"VOIII!"  
"Goddammit Squalo, you've already busted our eardrums six ways to Sunday! Shut up will you?!"

The usually elite group under Xanxus's control had been thrown into a state of temporary confusion. The fact that someone they had never ever seen before was standing calmly in the corner of the main room had shaken all them, who prided themselves on keeping up to the standards of Varia quality.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" The long haired second-in-command had gone back to waving his sword around.  
"Calm yourself Superbi. I almost feel bad for all of your underlings." The mysterious figure who had been leaning against the wall with arms and legs crossed unfolded herself and proceeded to run her hand through her hair. It was parted on the left side, short but heavily layered, curving softly around her face and stopping right before her shoulders.

"Shark, do you know this scum?" Xanxus halted his fire, a rare sight to behold.  
The silver-head shouted."THE HELL I DO! I'VE NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE IN MY LIFE!"

"That's rude, Squalo." Over her left eye was a black eye patch with an ornate rose on it. Her remaining turquoise eye was glazed over with something that could only be described as hatred. "Considering that you took my eye in our last battle and left me for dead."

The shark froze up, halting his sword's wild swinging motions. His own cerulean eyes widened and shock pulsed through his lithe frame. "There is no fucking way..." He muttered, suddenly finding everything else around him to be absolutely fascinating; everything except that middle-aged female that he _obviously recognized_, standing in the middle of their mansion.

"Don't tell me you forgot me, Superbi." The strange female patted the sword on her left hip, held up by a leather belt. Both the sword and belt had matching intricate metal designs on them. "Didn't I tell you to never forget me? Especially since I would never forget you?" Her eyebrows had become strangely knitted together, as if in anger.

Lussuria had been looking at Squalo strangely for the past few seconds, absolute mortification written all over his face. When was the last time he had heard Squ-chan speak in anything less than a shout, much less to a woman?

Squalo made an attempt to compose himself, stepping out of his defensive stance and lowering his arm. "Iri, it's been awhile."

"It's been sixteen years, you fricking cuntbag." She spat back venomously, her gloved hands clenching themselves into shaking fists.

"Fake prince senpai, did she just mash two words together…?"  
"I think she just called Squalo a girl in a very insulting way."  
"Oh so that's what a cunt is…"  
"Shut up froggy. Get some popcorn and watch the soap opera."

"Why are you here?" The shark's expression looked almost pained.

"Why do you think?!"

The rest of the Varia stood still and on guard. Whoever Iri was, the girl standing in the middle of their room was obviously hostile. Even subconsciously, the rest of them had subtly begun to move to surround her.

"If your friends attack me before I'm done with my goddamn sentence none of them will escape with all four of their limbs attached; including your good-for-nothing boss who's glaring at me with a passion." The hostility had yet to fade from her tone.

Levi, Lussuria, and Bel all looked to Xanxus, who narrowed his eyes and 'tsked' in a rather pissed off manner. "What the hell are you trash looking at?!" He yelled.

"Stand down."Squalo spoke up. "Her bark is nothing compared to her bite." The shark then turned back to the girl. "Explain yourself."

"You." Iri said with a vengeance. "My existence is linked to yours. I'm here for my revenge. I won't be satisfied with an eye for an eye; only your life will suffice for my trophy."

* * *

_Revenge is cold, and sweet, and somehow, it is not fattening. _

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

**AN: This was my first chapter guys! As far as updating goes, I think I'm gonna be an irregular one. I'm sorry! I'm a busy person D: Please review (I mean that button looks damn tempting, don't it?) and tell me what you think! Too long? Short? Boring? Wordy? Strange? Tell me! Love you guys! 3**


	2. Chapter 2: La Fata Madrina

**AN: Hey guys! Mimi here! Thank you so much for the favorites and reviews! I really thought that no one would read my story until I'd posted at least five chapters but even if it's not a crazy number, it made me really happy and motivated to I decided to update as soon as I could! Thank you to: **

**BabyShinji**

**khr216**

**4DarkMirror6**

**And BloodieReader! **

**It really means a lot to me! Also, I rewrote the later part of chapter one because I really didn't like how it sounded. It didn't flow very well in my opinion, and when I was reading it over, it sounded like it was written by a newbie.**

**Also, the chapter name "La Fata Madrina" means "the Fairy Godmother" in Italian.**

**Please read and review! Enjoy 3**

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_Previously:_

_"If your friends attack me before I'm done with my goddamn sentence, none of them will escape with all four of their limbs attached; including your good-for-nothing boss who's glaring at me with a passion." The hostility had yet to fade from her tone._

_Levi, Lussuria, and Bel all looked to Xanxus, who narrowed his eyes and 'tsked' in a rather pissed off manner. "What the hell are you trash looking at?!" He yelled._

_"Stand down."Squalo spoke up. "Her bark is nothing compared to her bite." The shark then turned back to the girl. "Explain yourself."_

_"You." Iri said with a vengeance. "My existence is linked to yours. I'm here for my revenge. I won't be satisfied with an eye for an eye; only your life will suffice for my trophy."_

* * *

**Chapter 2: La Fata Madrina**

_Injuries may heal, as long as we breathe, but scars will remain for as long as we will ever know._

* * *

Squalo wasn't exactly sure when he swore his undying loyalty to Xanxus; but then again, the shark wasn't sure of a lot of things. Like when his swearing his undying loyalty turned into babysitting the entire goddamn Varia twenty-four seven. And also why someone he'd last seen sixteen years ago and left for dead was standing in front of him telling him that she woke up this morning and decided to kill Superbi Squalo.

The subtle click that all of the Varia members had become so accustomed to hearing suddenly sharpened their hearing and stiffened their forms.

Squalo fought the urge to laugh as he looked down the barrel of Xanxus gun from a few feet away.

"Scum, what are you going to do about this?" Their boss asked irately.  
"I don't know; why the fuck are you asking me?" Squalo snorted.  
"She wants _your_ head, you stupid shark."

Xanxus pulled the trigger.

All of them had gotten so used to their boss's man-periods though, coupled with his random fits of flipping tables and his strange tendency to smash their lackeys' faces into walls so hard they were liable to burst open - of course, who was to say it hadn't happened once or twice?- that they evaded the condensed ball of fury easily.

The orb of fire collided with the south wall of his room and completely burned a rather enormous hole in it, which, to say the least, was not aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

"If you don't take her out, I will." The Varia head growled, still sitting in his throne."Now settle it."  
"Voii! It isn't that simple-" Squalo started, swinging his sword around again.

Belphegor released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The Prince, if he was to speak frankly, had never witnessed a more terrifying sight than a quiet Squalo. Now that he was back to his shouting, uncontrollable self, he felt like he could breathe again.

"Was fake prince senpai scared?"  
"It would do you good to shut up, my uncute kouhai. Shi shi shi…"

"Don't ignore me, Superbi."

To everyone's surprise, the ear-jarring sound of metal biting against metal filled the air much sooner than anticipated. The newcomer –or intruder, which ever worked fine- had drawn her sword and gone for the kill.

The shark frowned immediately when he realized that their swords had collided with such impact that it had had an effect similar to the Attacco di Squalo; his reflexes had slowed down.

He couldn't say whether or not it was a relief to find that unlike him, his former acquaintance had done more than sit on her ass and boss other twenty-or-so-year-olds around like he had.

The faint faltering and hesitance that had once been so prominent in Iri's eyes was gone. But Squalo had expected that. She hadn't even been in her teenage years last her saw her, after all. Instead, they instilled a new feeling in him. Fear? Excitement? Anticipation? The rage that was so clearly visible in Xanxus's gaze was more subtle in her, but that subtle rage was somehow more terrifying.

It was in her entire stature, demeanor; from the way she talked, and walked, and stood and spoke. They were indications of someone driven and motivated, hidden skillfully and tactfully. They were indications of a conflagration of hatred that had been burning for so long that it had completely consumed everything else around it.

* * *

_Never have I found a resolve so motivating as hatred and so unfulfilling as vengeance._

* * *

One crisp Italy morning eighteen years ago found Superbi Squalo ambling down a dusty pathway, weary and downtrodden from the abuse of the bottoms of many feet. On either side of him were vast expanses of grass as far as the eye could fathom to see, rolling hills and stretching plains.

His hair had yet to have grown to such a length in which people might have mistaken him for a female, but many people knew the terrifying adolescent by name alone. A teen with a raucous temperament and untamable character, he wielded the sword as if it were an extension of his own arm, and in swinging it around, he found his own self within the reflections and swipes of the blade.

The ever-present scowl was etched into his features as he kicked up dust behind him while he moved. At his hip swung a long blade, excellently forged with the most intricate designs beneath the grip.

He slowly approached a quaint settlement, a typical one. There weren't many houses, but then again, it couldn't have been counted as few either. There was a pub, a general store, a bookstore, and those things of the sort; places Squalo could never have been bothered with anyways.

"Squalo-ani!" Someone from a ways away shouted his name. The shark slammed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Children were so annoying.

The silver-haired boy was not in the mood for anyone right now. He had planned to slip in to grab some of his belongings and then be on his way. He had never been the sentimental type anyways. He adamantly kept his eyes shut-

Only to have the blessed air driven from his lungs as he collided with the dusty ground below him.

"Squalo-anii!" The same young, feminine voice shouted in his ear.

The adolescent male winced and cracked his eyes open. "Voi!" He voiced his anger. "Get off me, you brat!"  
"Squalo-ani, are you leaving?" A tearful voice came pitifully. "You don't have to go you know. I'll stop bothering you and Mami says that you can stay and-"  
"Shut up brat!" Superbi snarled and pushed her off of him. "I'm only here to pick up my stuff."

If one didn't know better, then they would have called the two look-alikes, albeit of different genders; but that was beside the point. Both with short silver hair and piercing eyes that possessed a blueish quality, only their personalities had notable gaps and differences. Squalo was rambunctious and haughty; the smaller girl was more timid and naïve.

"Ani…" The child murmured, eyes stinging as tears began to surface.  
"Voi! Don't cry, brat!" Squalo dusted himself off and got back up. Didn't Mami tell you that you can't ever cry in front of people?"  
"But... but…"  
"Brats like you aren't allowed to make excuses!" Squalo shouted, smacking his younger cousin's back, telling her to get up.

The latter got to her feet slowly and spoke in a controlled voice, lest she lose the feeble hold on what was left of her composure. Squalo was right after all, since they weren't the best off nor were they in the most envied situation. Their Mami resented pity above all else, and so, somewhere along the line, crying had become a no-no and so had whining.

"Mami says she wants to speak with you before you go."

The shark grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He too was having a bit of trouble holding into his own composure.

"I don't want to see her." He stated curtly.  
"Squalo-ani, you're leaving the village! The least you can do is-"  
"Is leave without reopening any old wounds." Squalo finished for his younger cousin. Then his eyes took on a rarer, softer look. "You're still a kid so you wouldn't understand, but a clean cut takes much less time to heal."  
"I'm not a kid!" She shouted indignantly.  
"You are to me." He put a hand on her head and tussled her silver hair that looked so much like his.

The shorter female angrily stepped back and tossed his hand off of her head. "Don't talk to me then, if you won't talk to Mami!"  
"Iri, you know why I don't like to-"  
"You're supposed to be the older one! I thought growing older would make you more mature, Squalo-ani!"

Appalled, the prodigy took a step back. His younger cousin had taken off down the road, kicking up dirt and dusts behind her on the unpaved path, as everyone did when they walked down the lane.

Squalo uttered a noise similar to what could have been the beginnings of a snarl. "Women are so damn confusing…"

His hand went to grasp the grip of his blade, and as if by magic, some of the tenseness in his shoulders dissipated. His feet began moving down the path again, as they would have done had no one barricaded his path, much less someone who brought up such undesirable memories.

The wind blew softly against his hair and tangled it, but the shark was too busy drowning in reminiscence to give too many fucks.

* * *

_We don't turn our backs family, even if they've turned their backs on us._

* * *

The shark kicked the door a few times, realizing a few seconds –in all honesty, it was days- late that he had lost his keys and thus resorted to slashing through the lock of the door.

Years of practicing had refined his swordsmanship into an immaculate show of perfection.

Afterwards, he proceeded to kick open door and stepped inside, doing a once-over of the place.

"Who is it?" Someone suddenly asked.  
"Your fairy godmother." Squalo deadpanned, sheathing his sword and taking a look around.

The interior had gathered dust, so much to the point where the shark could have smelled it in the air, had he not already seen it cover every inch of surface area possible. It almost resembled a log cabin, with the fireplace in the living room the first thing one saw, across from the 'mudroom', if you would.

The entire house was basically three rooms; the biggest, encompassed a mash-up of the kitchen and living room. On the right and left were the two bedrooms and bathrooms. Squalo knew the left part well; as for the right, he didn't even know how it looked.

"Squalo?" A tired, frail voice came from the right wing. "Is that you, Squalo?" Now with more of a sense of urgency.  
"I just said I was your fairy godmother."

Squalo didn't bother to take off his shoes. The ground had cobwebs and small inhabitants crawling along it anyways, and he didn't want to risk doing something stupid.

The right door opened and out came a scrawny woman, an inch shorter than he with grayed hair that, at one point in time, had to have had the same silver sheen that he and his younger cousin possessed. She was wearing clothes that had grown ragged and grayed with time, her fringed and stringy hair long and knotted. In her eyes was a slightly desperate gleam.

"You never wrote or anything!" She stumbled forward, trying to make her way into the kitchen. "Iri was always telling me you'd come back at one point, and she always waited for you at the village gate but…"

The woman rambled on and on, but her voice and words made Squalo sick to the stomach. He had never expected Iri to ever listen to him when he told her that he'd be back someday.  
It had been a year since he'd left.

"Where is she?" The swordsman suddenly cut her off.  
"Eh?" She took a step back. "I thought she would have greeted you! She's always waiting there, insisting that you'd come back!"  
"Well, I suppose that isn't important." Squalo brushed by her quickly, nonchalantly, uncaringly; or at least that's how he hoped he came off. "I'm only here to grab a few things."  
"Stop by and say farewell to some neighbors!" She said a bit too quickly.

The former ignored her and made his way to the left door, quelling the slight tremors in his left hand and twisting the doorknob with abandon; or maybe that was just because he felt he couldn't do much else at this point.

He quickly clenched his left hand and dug his nails into the palm of his hand as he stood in the doorway, almost scared to step in. The shark would have fell to his knees and shouted 'Oh the nostalgia' at the top of his lungs but he supposed –he'd been doing a lot of supposing lately- that would have been considered unbecoming of someone of his status, and also plain unmanly, so he just stood there for a few moments while his throat swelled up and he fought the wave of sentimentality that hit him like a train going a mile a minute.

The room hadn't changed. In fact, it hadn't been touched. The morning he decided that he didn't carry enough fucks around with him to hand out on a daily basis, he'd gotten out of bed, slipped on his shoes and left the house without making his bed, the one thing Mami was always very strict on. Didn't look back.

The thin, navy covers were still crumpled up at foot of his twin-sized bed, the pillow still cast akimbo, more to the left side than centered, as it should have been.

Squalo registered, somewhere in the back of what he considered to be his mind, that the blasted woman was rambling on again. His fingertips were beginning to go numb, and he figured that he should start to move them.

He had told his younger cousin that he had only come back to grab some things. He had told Mami, the woman hovering behind him right now, the same things. But honestly, he should have told them that all he wanted was the framed picture that stood on their nightstand that stood between the two beds on opposite sides of the humble abode.

The silver-haired boy forced his legs to move towards the nightstand, grasping the photo and looking at it as fought back another wave. He was such a girl.

Whether it had been thrown, or dropped, or whatever, a crack had gone down the middle of the photo frame, separating the two youngsters in the photograph. Squalo decided he'd fix it as soon as he could.

"Do you want something to eat, Squalo? I should pack you some things for-"  
"Don't bother."

To Squalo, it seemed as if the aged woman behind him had finally understood his curtly withdrawn reticence. A strange flicker of realization flitted across her eyes and she took a step back. Her hands began to shake.

"At least, make sure you say goodbye to your cousin before you leave." She whispered.  
"The true goodbyes are the ones that aren't ever said or explained." The shark's tone mirrored hers. He kept his voice low, lest it crack from the despondency that made the back of his throat swell.  
"That's just the same as abandoning someone."  
"A clean cut heals the fastest." Squalo rebutted, feeling a bit of strength trickle back into his enervated form. He began to move again.

Squalo turned around and found his face crashing into a warm barrier that was a mix of chest, arms, warmth, and bittersweet regret.

"How lucky I am…" The woman said softly, her hands threading through her son's hair, holding him tightly, as if she would never hold him again. "To have known someone so difficult to say goodbye to…"  
"Don't touch me…" Squalo said, barely audible through fritted teeth. "Fucking trash, I'm going to have to burn these clothes…"

He pushed her away, his actions somehow lacking the venom his words carried. As the adolescent began to walk away, she caught his hand.

"Squalo." She began, taking a big breath.  
"Make it quick, then." He did the same.  
She spoke, voice wavering. "Don't be picky; eat lots and grow strong. Make sure you don't stay up too late, and get lots of sleep."

Squalo stiffened, and yanked his hand back.

"And make friends… Make good ones. You don't need a lot of friends, only a few. Ones you can really really trust. I was never good at it, but keep up with your studies and practice hard. Don't get discouraged if you can't do something that well; everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, Squalo."

The swordsman gripped the photo in his hands a little tighter and began to make his way out of the house.

"Respect your elders and your upperclassmen. I know how you can get sometimes. Oh, and this is important…" The woman made no effort to go after him, but instead, felt her own eyes sting with the effort of holding back tears. "No alcohol until you're twenty-one. Too much can ruin your health, so control yourself…"

She didn't miss the wetness on her son's cheeks as he left the room either.

"Squalo, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship from now on. Be true to yourself and stay strong." Her voice cracked a bit. "Be confident and don't let anyone drag you down… If they do then drag them down with you…"

He paused as he put his hand on the cold doorknob of the house's main doorway.

"There's much, much, much, _so much_ more that I want to tell you…"

He twisted the doorknob.

"But I guess I'll have to let you go now…"

Opened the door.

"Thank you…"

Shut it.

"And I love you."

Didn't look back.

Behind him, his mother stood holding a smaller feminine frame to herself.

"It's okay Iri," she murmured in a soothing voice. "Even if you can't call the memory forth, nothing that happens is ever forgotten. Ever."

* * *

_The only home a man should ever need should be inside his heart._

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

**AN: Okay guys! This was the first part of Squalo's flash back! Thank you so much for reading! Please stay tuned for the second part! I'm sorry about the late update! Read and review! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3: The Problem With EBay

**AN: Hello dear readers! Thank you for actually reading my story. I know my writing is slightly atrocious – I mean, what are you doing here? Have you **_**seen**_** my writing? RUN!- but thanks so much. Chapter 2 began with a small continuation of the scenario and the first part of the flashback part. Chapter 3 will be a continuation of the flashback part. This chapter will also be written in first person, Iri's POV.**

**I just realized that Fran doesn't come into play until the future arc, which means Squalo is 32. Wow. So I'm changing the times from sic years to sixteen years and eight years to eighteen years. Wow. Alright. I'm sorry. **

**Oh and plus, since this chapter will be in first person, brace yourself for some bipolar shiftfs in mood heavy language, ridiculous sarcasm, slang, vocabulary words, and bad pessimism. **

**It's also very gory. Like **_**very**_** detailed, and gory, and bloody. It isn't terrible. But beware.  
Love you guys. ^_^**

* * *

_Previously:_

"_Squalo, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship from now on. Be true to yourself and stay strong." Her voice cracked a bit. "Be confident and don't let anyone drag you down… If they do then drag them down with you…"_

_He paused as he put his hand on the cold doorknob of the house's main doorway._

"_There's much, much, much, so much more that I want to tell you…" _

_He twisted the doorknob. _

"_But I guess I'll have to let you go now…"_

_Opened the door. _

"_Thank you…"_

_Shut it._

"_And I love you."_

_Didn't look back._

_Behind him, his mother stood holding a smaller feminine frame to herself._

"_It's okay Iri," she murmured in a soothing voice. "Even if you can't call the memory forth, nothing that happens is ever forgotten. Ever."_

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Problem With EBay**

_Trusting someone not to hurt you. How idiotic is that?_

* * *

Everyone thinks they're special. At least, the vast majority of the first world population does. But they're not. The bullshit spouted to everyone in kindergarten was something everyone heard, and everyone believed – at that point in time anyways.

Maybe it was the fact that I never went to kindergarten –because I mean, that would explain a lot- or that it sounded absolutely phony from the second it left an adult's mouth, but I never believed those words.

Everyone lies. Everyone hides things. Everyone dies. No one gets through life without sinning. For some, people I guess it's more so than others. For some, I guess it's easier to do. For some, it's innate, a skill they're born with, a skill they don't have to be taught.

And I guess that's okay, right?  
Since everyone's special and all.  
Well shit.

The last time I saw Superbi Squalo, he looked happy. He looked happier than he had ever been during his years spent with me, swinging his sword around like a madman and shouting like he'd never shouted before. His hair was longer than mine, but his form was much more threatening. Anyone who called him a woman was just really fucking lucky if they lived to tell the tale.

That was sixteen years ago. Every day I ask myself why hellos take minutes to say and goodbyes take lifetimes to let go of. I suppose the answer still eludes me. But that's okay.  
Everything is okay.  
That's what I tell myself; a lot. And sometimes I believe it.

Repeat a lie enough times and it becomes a truth.

Squalo left our house eighteen years ago. But I never held that against him. Squalo possessed more of his dad's blood than his mother's, with a really shitty temperament and slightly domineering personality. I was his cousin who lived with his mom; somewhere along the line, she became Mami, and my childhood self was just fine with that.

What _did_ I hold against him?  
His betrayal, I guess.

We were a nominal village on the outskirts of a larger town that existed only in name, which, to be frank, I didn't bother to remember. Our eyes were a treasure to behold, a deep and mystifying mix of electric cobalt blue and wild turquoise. We weren't well known, but those who did know of us targeted us like animals.  
We were hunted and murdered.  
For what?  
Our eyes.  
Since that's a perfectly acceptable reason. Hey, I really like your eyes. Can I kill you and gouge them out? I want to sell them on fucking EBay.

And who was Squalo?

A Varia member who found no nuance with killing –if anything, they sought their refuge in the thickness of blood- and did so merely for the thrill and the stipends.  
A Varia Member who had the same blood as me, but had the serendipity and beatitude to have the genes that did not emphasize the color in his eyes.

So he could get away with it.  
I couldn't.

He left us eighteen years ago without so much as a sorrowful glance to my mother and a farewell in my direction. Two years later he comes back with the most fucked up group of bastards I have ever –and am almost certain _will ever_- see in my entire life; the Vongola's best assassination squad.

And what does he do? Kill everyone I've ever known in the pitiful span of my twelve year old life and gouge out their eyes.  
To sell on EBay.  
Maybe not EBay, but you get my point.  
He was sixteen then.  
But I was fourteen. And sixteen years have passed. Those sixteen years were more than enough time to harvest the seeds of hatred.

If there is something I've learned from life, it's the fact that the thing you wish for the most is something you'll never attain. And why?  
Life is a bitch, she doesn't have to say why.

The only way to get stronger is by struggling. Someone who can stand in the midst of a storm and shrug it off is not strong; the strong one is the one who endures it when he knows he cannot and goes off to find another when it has passed. Whenever there is a choice between the calm and the storm, pick the storm. Brave the storm and gain the power.

And what is so great about power? There are many things great about power. This world belongs to the powerful. This entire godforsaken world then, if you take that phrase into consideration, exists for the sake of cornering you.

And no, it is not my mentality speaking; _this is nothing short of the truth._

Those with power don't have to wait on those who lack it. The world waits for no one. If they don't like someone, kill them. If something goes wrong, kill the person who coordinated it. Shitty day? Let's go grab a coffee and blow someone's brains out.

And of course, not everyone goes down this path. The vast majority of the human population stays normal; all the screws in their brain _stay _screwed in exactly how they're supposed to. But there are people who knock a few screws loose in the magnificent process of self-discovery and pay for it dearly, whether they realize it or not.

Of course, this is coming from someone in the latter group. So don't take my word for it.

I will be blunt here, because I'm a slightly dense person, and obviously, there are people worse than I am. Which is saying something.

As soon as I processed the scene before me, my body stopped trembling, and I was in complete control of myself. To say I was sad would be a blatant lie; I didn't feel the slightest prick of grief. Fear blinded me. Insanity blinded me. Denial blinded me. Anger blinded me. The sheer force of my own willpower took my life away.

* * *

_I never rely on luck. Not anymore anyways. All that exists in this world is that which is fated to be. I make my own future through my own choices and my own strength._

* * *

How do I even begin to describe… the horror of that day? Some parts are vivid, and some parts are hardly anything more than a blur. The body in itself has a subconscious defense mechanism. Those who have triggered it more than once become aware of its existence. The human is such a delicate creature, after all. Anything too traumatizing for the mind to process immediately gets tucked away under the guise of a dull and opaque memory.

That day was red; red, upon layers and layers and thousand of shades of red. Bright red, the blood of so many innocents spilled unjustly; scarlet, the bloody sunset spreading its streaks through the sky in a last-ditch effort to stay high in the sky; darkened red, drying blood that was beginning to crumble and turn black.

The humble valley was dyed a magnificent rubicund hue –or, it would have been magnificent barring the unfortunate circumstances- and the clouds themselves were stained pink. Everything had a ruby shade, no matter its original color.

In the very trough of that valley, hidden between the dense oak and spruce forests, was a place I'd learned to come to call home. Behind the past there is another past, and in front of the past, there is yet another more recent past. These are all stories for another time.

My _parents_ were gone by the time I'd found a new caretaker, a new family. My _family_ was with Squalo and Mami, his mother. Speaking quite frankly Squalo was bastard of many sorts, both literally and cynically. His parents weren't married when they had him –they were never married to begin or end with for that matter- and he'd never met his father. His dad was a restless traveler and incorrigible drunkard.

Mami –my aunt, and Squalo's mother, that is- once told me that the dad would beat them when he had a bit too much to drink, especially while she was carrying Squalo. Nowadays I can finally understand why I got the impression my cousin was catapulted at a wall in his younger days.

Just at that time, that very village where I grew up in, invested my past in, lived with my family in, should have been bustling with activity, even more so than the busiest hive of bees, who are known to be the one of the hardest of workers, second only to ants.

Most families were normal, given that the definition of normal was something along the lines of a family _unlike_ our dysfunctional one. Their fathers hurried home after a hard day of work, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and an aura of contentment at simply being able to live out their lives. Their wives would welcome them home with wide smiles and open arms, heaping food on the tables at home and scolding anyone who did anything wrong, afterwards proffering a warm smile and hug as compensation. The children would scream and squeal as they chased each other around with hands caked in mud or worms flailing on sticks, rounded faces stretched out in innocent grins yet to be tainted by the cruelties of the world.

The front of their wooden houses that had been aged by the wear and tear of time were usually occupied by chickens that clucked noisily and walked in strange ways, as well as dogs that accompanied the head of the family when they went on hunts and guarded against strange people who came into town. Who knows, they might have posed a threat to the continuity they had become so accustomed to.

It should have been, this was what the village should have looked like… but it was not. There are many things in this world that should be, but are not. This world is not perfect; this world is not kind; I have never felt it more clearly than when looking at that scene that _should not_ have been in front of me.

Disturbing. Absolutely disturbing. Horrifying. A deep dread welled up from a crevice I did not know I even had in the black hole I called my heart. Smoke spiraled upwards, lazy and slow as buildings burned below it. Ash blew to and fro, being caught within the froes of the wind. It settled in my hair and I caught some in my hands. Who was to say I did not crush the leftovers of my fellow brethren at that time?

Red. I had never seen so much in my life. It was like someone had slipped glasses with red-tinted lenses over my eyes. Nothing had its own hue. The sky on its own bore the color the flowed far too freely on the ground. Was it reflecting the rubicund landscape beneath it?

Mami had sent me out to the market to grab some fresh greens for that night. Maybe she sensed the looming peril, or maybe it was a stroke of luck. All I know is that the entire situation was so overwhelmingly unfair. If she wanted something, she should have gone to go get them herself. How could she, how could all of them, leave me so utterly alone to bear the burden of solitude all by myself? I should have been killed along with the rest of them, should have bore the momentary physical pain instead of having to support this cumbersome duty to remember the excruciating mental burden.

At the east side of the settlement, between the two large shrubs, was the entrance to the square. They always shook when someone walked in between them, no matter how stealthy the man; of all the things to remember, I recall these best.

I was no exception. They shook as I frantically crashed through the shrubs; I went through them the wrong way and the branches scraped at my arms as if to tell me not to leave them. And then I burst through them.

A crack in the heart.

I have never believed in the existence of an omnipotent being; a god, if you will. Now I know that I _never_ will, not anymore; I believe that there is no way that so many terrible things can consume the world we live in if this almighty God everyone goes around preaching about truly cars.

But at that point, I was nothing but a mere human. We are a weak people. We must have companionship, cohesiveness, and above all, something to desperately hold onto; a blind obedience.

My knees have never hit the ground so hard, never as hard as they did that day, when the gravity of the earth and the situation and the pain strengthened tenfold and pulled me down, threatening to crush me with nothing but air.

I prayed. I prayed to whatever pathetic god I knew of, heard of, could even conjure up. I told him to wake me up from this godforsaken dream, questioned him asking how he could possibly show me something like this. Vishnu, Buddha, God Almighty, Amun Re, freaking Poseidon, if they could do _anything_… Anything at all…

A slash to the heart.

What is a human supposed to do when carnage is presented to them so suddenly? The nauseating, absolutely revolting scent of blood, like rusted copper, so prominent in the air it could be cut with a knife.

A chip in my spirit.

I forgot how to scream. I wanted to scream. But my lungs stopped working. Damned lungs, they stopped taking in air when I was counting on them. But it wouldn't have done much. The air was so foul and polluted with the smell of blood, lividness, and absolute terror that I would have just choked on it.

I desperately wanted scream like they do in all of the tacky horror movies, a blood-curdling scream, to tell someone that something was wrong and it needed to be fixed. But no, I collapsed on my knees, and then my face, in a pool, a sea of blood, in an endless ocean of despair and death.

A gash in the soul.

I got up, realizing how Lady Luck must have been laughing at me so. I got up and clenched my hands and searched for any survivors.

A sea of bodies, pouring out what was once their life in the form of ruby-hued liquid was what rested in front of me. Above the smoldering wood, small sparks flew in the gentle breeze, carried along with soft flower petals that had adapted to that horrifying color of red; an ironic sight.

Bodies, both animal and human absolutely littered the village grounds; there was too much blood. All had horrific wounds, terrifying, but each telling a story. I had encountered several lying prostate, with blood that was not their own coating their corpse; they had no wound, and yet, their joints and bones were bent at impossible angles, mouths forever open, screaming their silent, terrifying scream. Some had snapped necks.

Others were charred, blackened to a crisp, and were beginning to crumble away. It seemed as if they had been in the process of running when an incredible heat had hit them. What was left of their incinerated limbs had seemed to have broken off as they collapsed.

And again, there were those who were simply hacked and slashed at. I encountered several dismembered limbs and body parts that shouldn't have been detached from the body in the first place; I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up in the first place; this never should have happened in the first place.

A ruthless blow to my naivety.

The most chilling sight; their eyes were gone, sockets empty and gaping at me. I could hear them screaming at me. I could hear everything. Every last person lacked the eyes to see; man or woman, old or young, none had been spared the harvest.

Many lied on their sides, curled up into a ball, hands scratching at their eyes, mouths open while they screamed for their loss.

You think I would have cried. You think I would have fallen to my knees and again and screamed this time, after I had composed myself to some degree.

I was fourteen, but people change. When such a situation is hurled at someone, their first instinct is to panic.

Why me? Why is this happening? Is this real? Wake me up. Wake me up!

But the one thing you can't run away from is reality. Unless you decide to end yourself –in which case you suffer a worse fate- you can't run away.

I was angry. I was so, so angry. It was as if I was a puppet control my Fate's hand, dancing like an idiot on her strings. Livid, to the extent where red overtook my vision and I wanted to do to those who had unleashed their fury on my people, to them a hundredfold.

When would the pain stop? When would Fate stop forcing open the crack in my heart that had already been toyed with, far too much? How far did I have to go? How much more did she have in plan for me?

"What do you want from me, you wench?!" One outburst of fury into the sky that had begun to gather rainclouds. "Tell me what you want from me! How much are you going to take away?!" I was only fourteen, but I had had enough of my own share of heartache.

I heard the crunch of debris behind me. I flipped around, feral and animalistic. I remember having an irrepressible urge to flay something, destroy something to an extent akin to the degree my soul had been.

Oh the irony. I wondered if I had truly crossed the line and wandered into the realm of insanity. The mentally ill usually don't understand that they are. I was seeing Squalo again, after a good two years of bitterness, remorse, and bountiful antipathy.

"Nice of you to come back at a time like this, Squalo."

Ew. Was that what had I always sounded like? Shaky voice, low and scratchy from holding back a growing scream?

"Where have you been? Mami's been looking for you for so long… Hurry back home… Your dinner will get cold."

He'd changed a lot. His hair had grown to ridiculous length, and his eyes contained a more primal look. Beneath his silver bangs, I saw his soft blue irises glow; whether it was with animosity or excitement, I never got the chance to discern.

"Do you know what happened, Squalo? I came back home to give Mami some stuff she'd sent me out to get… Eh? I must have misplaced it… I swear I was holding the bag and-"  
"Shut up, you idiot." He cut me off.  
"Why are you always so cold to me, cousin?" I whined.

I must have been out of my mind.

He was walking towards me, his sword in his right hand, swinging back and forth. I remember my irritation at his refusal to meet my eye. I also remember the terrifying weightlessness of my body at that point in time, my euphoria at the thought that I was going to die there and so, I could do whatever the hell I wanted.

Smoke was still rising in the air, and small fires smoldered around us. I don't know what I was thinking. Perhaps I had convinced myself that it was all a sick dream, and even if it had not been, I could always run away.

I was childish, and naïve, and still stuck in my lalaland of fantasies.

"I said shut up."

I didn't register the pain until several seconds after, until I saw the blood spurt from my cheek and spray onto the ground, into the preexisting puddles of blood that were already there.

He'd slashed at me, nicking my face.

"Oh look, Squalo… I'm bleeding… I wonder how that happened." I distinctly recall laughing. I did a lot of laughing within the span of those few minutes.  
"Look, Iri. I told them I'd take care of any survivors…" Squalo still refused to raise his head and meet my eyes.  
"Eh? Told who? What are you talking about, Squalo? They're all dead and they can't be take ca-"

"Voii! Snap _out of it_!" My cousin suddenly shouted, slicing the air in front of him in a gesture meant to convey his frustration. "We were on a murder mission! The order was to kill _everyone_! That includes you!"  
"So are you going to kill me then, Squalo?" I raised my own head and asked him in a tone that should have been used when speaking a sentence that began with the words of, 'I dare you…'

His long silver hair had grown to reach mid-back length, but it was spattered with too much blood and dirt. My cousin started to walk towards me slowly.

"Squalo…" Someone croaked. "What are you doing?"

I vaguely remember seeing him freeze up. His entire frame went tense and he gripped his sword a bit more tightly.

"Now I'm hearing things… I'm hearing Mami." I laughed, falling to the ground as my knees failed me. "Or maybe it's her ghost that's come to haunt me… Is it my fault? Tell me Squalo, is it my fault?"

Under a pile of rubbish, smoldering splintered wood, a frail old woman was trying to make her way out from under it, in spite of her lack of sight.  
"I hear you! Is that you, Squalo? Iri?" Her movements became more frantic. "Squalo, you-"

It was fast, and quick. I'd never seen someone move at such speed in my life before. Again, I didn't register it until several moments after it happened. It rolled across the ground and stopped in a puddle of red.

Squalo swung his sword again, trying to get all of the excess blood off of his blade. He cursed, looking down and to the side.

Mami's mouth was open forever in a silent scream, eye sockets horribly empty.

For lack of better word choice, all I said was: "Oh."

"Get lost, brat." Squalo suddenly threw his sword on the ground.  
"Weren't you going to kill me?" I asked, looking up at him. "Like you just did to Mami right there?"

He clenched his teeth. "You wouldn't understand. Duty comes before emotions; they're two different things. I won't say it again. Scram."  
"Why should I? You hypocrite! What do you think you're doing now?! Can't you do it to me Squalo? Can't you swing your sword at me, like you did to every other person in your _fricking hometown_?!"  
"Are you asking for it then?!"  
"Yes! Yes I fucking am!" I stood up, screaming, eyes red and throat sore. "Do it! Do it now so I don't have to live the rest of my life hating you and your stupid Varia that you abandoned us for!"

The adrenaline high that had been shot into my system was wearing off, and I was taking in my surroundings with a more real grasp on reality now. Of course, I had known that everyone was dead; that didn't surprise me. I just had nowhere to go now. What about me? Why didn't anyone think about me?

Something suddenly overtook me.

"_Do it_, goddammit!"

I felt a blinding pain in my left eye, and I blankly wondered when Squalo had picked up his sword again. I felt something hot and sticky making its way down my cheek and caking my clothes.

"I always thought you were a smart girl, Iri. Didn't I say I wasn't going to say it again? _Get lost_."

It was my turn to grit my teeth. My hand flew to my left eye and I glared at him with my other. "You won't do it then? You coward."  
"You're the coward, looking for the easy way out."

I saw him do the swinging motion with his sword, flinging the blood off his blade again. He'd slashed at my eye.

"Do you hate me?" He murmured. "It's okay to hate me."  
"_You_ did this entire thing didn't you?" I hissed, wiping my hand on my shirt. "You and your little assassin squad! Do they even know that you used to be one of us?! I bet you they don't! If I told them, would they kill you too?!"  
"Sometimes it's better to lie to people than to tell them the truth."  
"That's just a pathetic excuse for you!" I snarled. "Don't forget me Squalo! I swear I'm going to come back to haunt you, you rat!"

My cousin sheathed his sword and sighed, turning around and walking away. "Disappear from my sight, scum." He said, tone hardening.  
"I'll do whatever it takes, I'll cut you down, I'll kill your Boss in front of your eyes and I'll tear off his-"

I wondered somewhere in the corner of my mind if Squalo's favorite color was red. He seemed to enjoy painting everything in that color. More blood spurted from my torso as he cut a deep gash down it. When did he become so fast? Was it even possible for someone to move so quickly? I shouldn't have been. It shouldn't have been but it was.

"Don't spout empty words, trash. You're going to die regardless; whether or not I finish you off is a trivial matter."

My shoulder ached as I collided with the ground. I tried to force myself to move, strain my voice to scream, coax my eyes into seeing more clearly, but all I heard before I slipped into the blessed blackness was Squalo muttering: "It's raining."

But I knew that the skies were still stained that terrible red color, with only a meager amount of clouds to further that scarlet hue.  
I knew that he spoke of a different rain.

* * *

_He who wields the blade is much stronger than he who wields the gun. The swordsman is brave enough to carry the burden of the feeling of having killed someone; the gunshot leaves no such trace. They do not carry around bloodstained signatures._

* * *

If I were to be able to relive the moment where I saw my home get massacred, where I saw Mami lose her head (literally), or when Squalo was slashing away at me, I would love to tell him something: Make it hurt. Carve the pain of the world into my body and into my soul. Do it so that I can learn, so that I can never forget how disgustingly wretched this world can be.

I realized not long after I woke up in my desecrated town that I couldn't see out of my left eye; that and the fact that it hurt like a _bitch_.

Have you ever heard the saying that it's much easier to give up everything you have when you are left with nothing?

Of course it's easier, especially since you have nothing left to give. And so, after a few years of research and training and digging around in Mafia affairs I gave everything towards wiping out the Varia.

You think I'm joking.  
Don't look at me like that.

What happened during the sixteen years after the massacre?  
That's another story for another time.

* * *

_Sanity? What would I want with a useless thing like that?_

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

**AN: Hello readers! : ) This is the new, more detailed version of Chapter 3. I'm sorry if you actually read the first one I uploaded, your eyes must have bled. OTL **

**Please review and tell me what you guys think! I love your feedback, good or bad! Was it a bit too gory? Did the tone shift too drastically at one point (I was actually really worried about this)?**

**Thank you so much! **


	4. Chapter 4: Playing Cards

**AN: Hello dear readers! Thank you for all the marvelous favorites and story alerts! AND REVIEWS!**

**I want to tell Clocked002: I LOVE YOU. TO DEATH. LET ME VIRTUALLY HUG YOU. My first real critique! XD Thank you for the review! **

**And for I Am Alys: Thanks for the compliment. Actually, I'm stealing a lot of ideas from many animes. So I'm going to reference them now. The harvesting of the eyes comes from Hunter X Hunter. The needles with which Iri fights (you have to read this chapter to find out) come from Haku in Naruto. The binding statements come from Hunter X Hunter too. Thank you for bringing that up… Though I don't know where I made an Attack on Titan reference… Errr… Thanks anyways, I love you bro. **

**People like you guys give me motivation to write on and update more. **_**Chapter three has been rewritten!**_**Please go back and read it! The last chapter concluded the flash back portion (this one anyways) so chapter four will be moving on with the plot.**

**Which I honestly have no clue about. **

**This will go back to third person point of view. **

**Oh, and language! It's pretty heavy ^_^**

_(BIG NOTE: This the newer version of Chapter 4! I have this habit of uploading a chapter and reading it over and cringing and rewriting it and then posting it. This chapter 4 isn't different, plot wise, but I improved some parts that sounded atrocious. Diction and little things like that!)_

**Here we go!  
Read and review!**

* * *

_Previously: _

_If I were to be able to relive the moment where I saw my home get massacred, where I saw Mami lose her head (literally), or when Squalo was slashing away at me, I would love to tell him something: Make it hurt. Carve the pain of the world into my body and into my soul. Do it so that I can learn, so that I can never forget how disgustingly wretched this world can be._

_I realized not long after I woke up in my desecrated town that I couldn't see out of my left eye; that and the fact that it hurt like a__bitch__._

_Have you ever heard the saying that it's much easier to give up everything you have when you are left with nothing?_

_Of course it's easier, especially since you have nothing left to give. And so, after a few years of research and training and digging around in Mafia affairs I gave everything towards wiping out the Varia._

_You think I'm joking.  
Don't look at me like that._

_What happened during the sixteen years after the massacre?  
That's another story for another time._

* * *

**Chapter 4: Playing Cards**

_I live in order to atone for all of the lives that I took._

* * *

All of the Varia members had their eyes glued on the dueling duo as their swords clashed and produced raucous conciertos of blade versus blade, a beautiful melody; Squalo's favorite in fact...  
but not like this.

"Voi, if a fight's what you're looking for, I'll give it to you!" The swordsman thundered. Only Xanxus himself caught the slight faltering of his steps and catches in his voice.

His past had come back to haunt him. Why now, of all times? Why sixteen whole years after what had happened, when he had finally come to terms with what he'd done.

Of course. He should have known. His cousin was never the type to go down without a fight. She'd always been the type to come back up snarling and kicking as hard as she could.  
Should he have really ended her those sixteen years ago?  
Could he have done it?

Xanxus, at one point, seemed to have somehow gotten his hands on a bottle of beer and was downing some of it as he watched his second-in-command charge at the intruder. He was rather pissed off. He didn't like how this was going. When idiots like this showed up –the Varia had made many enemies over the years after all, and this was a very normal occurrence- it was usually always a race to see who could take them out.

Who did this little shit think she was, barging in and meddling with their security system, egging on their members?  
And why was their swordsman being a pussy?

"Trash!" The mafioso suddenly shouted, slamming down his drink on his desk with a loud bashing sound.  
"Voii, which trash are you referring to?" Squalo turned around and shouted at him, parrying another swing from the intruder.  
"Don't take your eyes off of me, Superbi!" She yelled.  
"What the hell do you expect from me?!" He swordsman bellowed to no one, or everyone in particular, confused.  
"If she isn't dead in ten minutes you're for some shit." Xanxus cocked his gun again.  
"Shi shi shi..." Came the amused snicker.

Squalo only kept the grim look on his face and proceeded to turn his focus back to the duel.  
"What do you intend to do Squalo?" The woman snarled, jabbing at him viciously, a forward thrust with the sword. "What are you going to do?!"

It was the same question she'd asked him over a decade ago.

He sidestepped half-heartedly, moving only as much as he needed to; it wasn't quite enough however, and the very edge of her blade nicked Squalo's upper arm, tearing the cloth and drawing blood.

Fran noticed his fake Prince senpai shaking, and turned towards him, staring at him curiously.  
"What are you looking at, Froggy?" Bel asked, voice laced with instability.  
"Eh, Senpai is acting strange…" He stated.  
He ignored his uncute kouhai in favor of the battle in front of him. "So many openings…" Bel's hands traveled towards his head, attempting to keep in all of the frustration; an eerie smile was slapped on his face. He was rocking back and forth slightly. "And on purpose too… What the hell are they playing at?" He sounded to be on the verge of a murder spree; they all knew Prince the Ripper more than they would have liked to.

Fran looked back at the battle scene. He hadn't been paying attention. The Varia did handle these sorts of vendettas and revenge quest kind of psychopaths periodically. But now that he was looking more carefully, he saw exactly what the knife-user was referring to.

They were both being sloppy, but too careful at the same time, humoring each other. The two had some previous connection; that much was blatantly obvious. Neither was taking the fight as seriously as to actually try to go for the kill.

That last jab had thrown the girl off balance and left her entire left flank wide open. Squalo could have easily cut her in half had he wanted to; the girl was baiting him and Squalo had bit rather hard. Again, they were also being very prudent, taking care not shatter anything around them, which was honestly quite surprising, if you take into account the small fact that Varia members had a tendency to never give a damn about whatever got in between them and their target.

What _were_ they playing at?

The Varia illusionist heard a faint clinking sound he had come to recognize very well, the sound of his senpai's knives grating against each other. He was getting aggravated from watching the show.

Squalo caught the knife-user's eyes however, and the message he was trying to convey was very clear.  
_Fuck off, freak._

"Iriomote cat Iri." Someone said suddenly. Levi stood there, peering intensively at the match, arms crossed. "That's her nickname. I've heard she's close to the Bronco and she's a ruthless killer. Her temper is short and she's said to have no conscience. Her flame is a cloud type and she carries around three boxes. They have some sort of trick, but anyone who's seen it is already dead."

Squalo had a very good guess about the box. He knew her personality well, and his cousin was the type to do things just to spite people, especially when they pissed her off.  
Especially when they pissed her off.

Whether it would be in the form of an animal, or whatever, the swordsman didn't know. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if it was one of a kind. His cousin had always been a prodigy; she could probably _make_ a box weapon that would suit her needs.

"You aren't focusing, Squalo!" She shouted at him, swinging a particularly hard blow. "Are you going to take whatever your shitty Boss throws at you?!"  
"What are you, my mother?!" He rebutted.  
"Was killing your _real_ one not good enough for you?!"

Squalo swung a particularly strong swing and immediately jumped back, fists clenched.  
Their swords had clashed viciously and both of their arms were trembling from the aftershocks.

"You wouldn't understand…" He muttered, bangs overshadowing his eyes. "You'll never understand."  
"Oh I understand." She sheathed her sword, teeth gritted. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you. I definitely get it. But that doesn't make it okay!"

Something behind them suddenly exploded.

True to their nature, the two spun around faster than what should have been possible and both literally cut the oncoming mass of fury in half. Xanxus had apparently fired his gun. (1)

"Trash, it's been more than ten minutes." Smoke slowly rose from the nose of the murder device.  
"Boss," a certain half-senile prince interrupted. "I haven't had a good thrill in awhile." Bel had not stopped shaking, Fran noticed. "Let me finish her."  
After a few seconds and a scoff or two, Xanxus answered with: "Do whatever the hell you want; she's just another piece of trash like the rest of you."

Iri glared straight at Squalo. The fact that they had both stopped the infamous mafioso's attack irked her.

And suddenly her eyes widened as she felt a sharp sting on her left cheek, and felt blood run down her face. A knife hit the wall behind her.  
Another sharp sting on her right forearm.

"You're the freak that uses knives, right?" A dangerous glint flitted across her eye as she stared down the Prince. "You picking a fight?"  
"I think you're misunderstanding, ushishishi…" Bel laughed. "This won't be a fight. This will be a one-sided massacre."  
"You're underestimating me." She sheathed her sword, eye glinting dangerously. Xanxus narrowed his own pair, feeling something stir as he looked into her iris. It was excitement. A sheer thrill.  
"Says the one who's facing me empty-handed."

The ring on Iri's hand suddenly blazed to life in a eerie violet shade, incredibly pure and emitting a dangerous aura.  
"Whoever said I was empty handed?"  
"Looks like the cat has bared her fangs." The Prince motioned with his hand, a swiping, cat-like gesture to irk her. "And Squalo," he grinned his trademark Chesire cat grin. "Fuck off."

"I'm not fond of being ignored, tiara boy." The venom in the silver-haired intruder's voice was nearly palpable. She opened one of the three boxes on the hip opposite her sword.

As far as Belphegor could see, a mass of cloud flames had poured out of the box and rushed into the sleeves of her jacket. But he knew to keep his distance. She knew more about him than he knew about her, so technically, he was at a disadvantage.

But then again, he was never one to get technical about trivial things like this. It had been such a long time since he'd snapped and felt the thrill of warm blood seeping down… well, everything, because that was what happened when he snapped. A vicious murder spree.

"You talk too much, kitty cat." He purred, just to spite her. He then decided to use his cutting-knife waltz. Someone like her, however interesting, wasn't worth opening his box over, he deemed.

His raised his arms and hands and his knives rose respectively. Glinting knives swayed in the air around the two, ablaze in a brilliant red conflagration .  
In one swoop of his hand, all of his knives fell down toward the one-eyed girl.

She stood still for a moment… and then nearly mirrored Bel's movement in reverse with her own arm.

Several short, harsh grating sounds occurred simultaneously and the Varia member had blinked a few timed before they registered what had happened.

Knives and ridiculously long needles littered the ground. The storm and cloud class flames on the two kinds of weapons gradually extinguished themselves as they had no source to draw their flames from.

"Ushishishi… You use throwing needles, neh?" Bel dug his nails into the palm of his hand to keep himself composed. It was so exciting, and yet, the battle was moving at such a slow pace. "This might take awhile then..."

He tugged on the wires that connected every last one of his knives and they rose again in their death symphony, red Dying Will flames coating them once again.  
The blonde gave her no respite and attacked immediately as soon as his own weapons were ready.

A relentless wave of wave of attacks, constantly on the offense.  
"Just as the storm should be…" Belphegor chuckled. "Ushishishi…"

Again, she tried to use her needles to counter her opponent's knifework, but she immediately realized that the wire held the structure steady. Her own needles bounced off harmlessly.

Without thinking, Iri opened her second box.

In a blast of incredibly hot, pressured air and smoke, the death symphony couldn't hold its ground and another series of _clangs_ were heard as their weapons were thrust against floors and walls.  
A fierce roar was suddenly heard, forcing everyone to hold their hands to their ears.

It was difficult to see through the smoke.

The sound of a shattering window resounded, and Bel suddenly couldn't take it anymore. There was only so much tension he could handle. The hell if he was going to allow his prey to escape.  
The Prince dove out of the window after the girl and whatever had roared. The Boss could have his goddamn hide later, after he'd worked this adrenaline out of his system.

His feet hit plush grass as Bel landed gracefully -as a Prince should have done, of course- in the Varia's so-called backyard. It was where they held their sparring sessions. Of course they had their training rooms and such, but the atmosphere was different when you were outside; more integrated, more _real_.

"Ushishishi… Is that your animal box weapon, kitty cat? It fits you." He drawled, gesturing with his hands again.  
"It's complicated to explain, tiara boy…" She growled.  
"Come now, proper manners for the _Prince_!" Bel threw a multitude of knives in a fan-shaped arc as he said the last word of his sentence.

The Cloud-type feline roared fiercely again and swept its five tails along the vast expanse of grass. It was about twice as tall as the average male, and had savage, yellowish eyes. Its fur was a sickly poisonous purple color, true to its nature.

Needles flew again to deflect knives.

"We're getting nowhere, kitty cat…"  
"You're taking my lines, tiara boy."

More pairs of feet hit the vegetation around them, signaling the other Varia members' arrival, all of them eager to spectate. Even Xanxus had gotten off his lazy ass for once.

Knives and needles littered the grass around them again. Moving locations had done little to remedy the fact that it was dangerous to move about freely.

"Heh…"  
"What's the commoner laughing about? Ushishishi…"

Iri found it slightly unsettling how she couldn't see the blonde's eyes. She couldn't judge where he was looking. She couldn't see if he killed for the joy of it, for the money, or because he was bored and had nothing else to do. She couldn't sum him up like the rest of them.

She didn't answer him, and instead, threw a shower of needles his way.

It was just one big fucking circle. Or a rather small one in Fran's opinion. He vaguely wondered how many of the damn weapons each of them carried around. The frog mentally shuddered at the thought and opted to simply stare at the match.

On second thought, what was the massive feline behind the girl doing, just sitting there? He slowly crossed his arms, staring at its terrifying indigo eyes.

It sat on the grass obediently, paws in front of it. It didn't look like a tiger or lion, but more like a fox. For one, it had five tails... And it's fur pelt was violet. Flames leaped from every part of its body, most of all it's ears. It had a dominating and oppressive aura, as if it knew it was better and stronger than all of them.

He would have warned his senpai, but once glance at the senior members around him told him that they had all noticed ages before him, and they'd held their tongues for a reason.

Bel, though terrifying when he snapped, was a naïve one, still immature at thirty-two years of age, and liked to revel in the thrill of battle. Even though their setting had changed, he still hadn't pulled out his visone tempesta; she was right in that he was underestimating her.

"You aren't the only one that uses wires, tiara boy." The silver-haired female snorted.

As she yanked on them, the light reflected off of thin strands of wire connected to her fingers, and the multitudes of needles that had been lifelessly lying on the grass moments before came to life and dove straight towards the assassin.  
Fran blinked confusedly. He hadn't caught sight of the wires before. Obviously, he wasn't the only one, judging from everyone else's expressions.

"You sure are cocky, for a commoner."

Fran should have known better. The froggy exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. What was this? Worry? Fear? That was strange. He'd never had to worry about his senpai before.

Another loud clang as he used his knives to parry them.

A circle for sure.

"I'll admit that I am a bit full of myself." She snickered. "_Dire ciao al mio demone nube_." (2)

The violet feline that had been sitting docilely along the sidelines roared viciously upon hearing its name called upon and with its powerful hind legs, sprung towards the blonde.

"Ushishishi… Shit." He flew backwards about 25 feet, but somehow remained standing. The box weapon that had released its fury on him had vanished. Instead…

"First condition," Iri had a blank look on her face that irritated the Prince more than a smug one might have. "If you lay a hand on Squalo, you're dead. Finish."  
"Ushishishi… Condition? Who said anything ab-"

His suddenly hands flew to his neck in a flurry of panic, clawing at something that wasn't there.  
His body tensed and it seemed like he couldn't breathe very well. The Prince's form doubled over and he fell on his knees.

"Second condition; attack me again and you're dead. Finish."

A smile broke out on her face as she saw the gleam of hatred in his eyes from under his bangs. His arms were drawn close to him and he was crumpled up.

"Third condition. You-"

"Detain her." Xanxus commanded. "Now."  
"If she resists?" The Varia's Lightning guardian inquired.  
"Scum, your job is to do what I say, not question me. _Fucking detain her_."

Three figures moved impossibly quickly through the thick of the night. The moonlit sky did little to aid the eyes in sight.

The intruder's sentence was cut off as powerful hands thrust itself against her windpipe and tried to wrap its fingers around it.

Xanxus stood, a few meters away from the blur of black silhouettes against the night's meager share of light. Bel was on his knees, a good distance away. Instead, Lussuria, Levi, and Fran were putting her down.  
Well, mainly Lussuria. The other two's specialties laid elsewhere, not in close-combat; unsuitable for -quote-unquote- _detaining_.

"Why haven't you moved, shark?" Their boss asked the swordsman, a hint of cruelty in his scarlet irises.  
"Do you really feel a need to ask, stupid boss…"

He decided to leave the shark alone.  
For once.

Xanxus turned his attention back to fight and vaguely wondered where the hell she'd gotten her training. You were _supposed to panic_ when you felt your windpipe being crushed, not stand there for a few moments before _calmly grabbing the wrist and snapping it in half_.  
There was something wrong with the girl.

Lussuria only frowned and set his wrist back to where it should have been before pursuing the girl again.

Who the hell was he kidding, there were a lot of things wrong with _all of them_.

A tense few seconds passed before their Sun guardian hit the grass heavily after receiving a sickening chop to the neck.  
That would leave a mark.

"Well?" The girl growled, using her sleeve to wipe away her perspiration. "Which one of you bastards is-"

Fran visibly flinched as he felt a terrifying heat on the left side of his face. He had been standing at his Boss's left flank when he fired his gun.  
It took the frog a few moments to process what had happened.

Xanxus currently had the girl in a headlock.  
This godforsaken group never ceased to scare the shit out of him.  
He'd used his gun to propel him toward the girl and grab her before she could do anymore harm.

"Scum," Xanxus began, his rage beginning to boil over. "_Do you know how humiliating this is?! Two Varia members taken down by a brat we've never even heard about?!_"

Fran admitted, the sight surprised him. Xanxus usually never took part in battles first-hand, much less with his bare hands.

"Do you want me to snap your arms too, you little shit?" The girl choked out from behind his vice-like grip.  
"I should snap this pretty little neck of yours right here, trash."  
"Why aren't you?"  
"Because I know you wanna flay that fucking shark. And I'm not gonna let ya."

His breath smelled of whiskey and beer and cigars. From underneath all of that unpleasantness though, the faint aroma of cologne was noticeable.

"Undo it, scum. Undo the binding conditions you put in the blondie."  
"Kill me first." She hissed, still struggling to get free.

With a slight twitch of her fingertips, Iri tugged on the wires and she tried to send the needles that were laying on the grass flying towards the both of them. Levi, however, deflected them with his parasols, true to his label of self-proclaimed boss's right-hand man.

"_Now_, kitty cat."  
"Don't mock me!" She screeched. "Let me go! Where is he?! This wasn't supposed to-"

Her air supply was abruptly cut off when Xanxus tightened his grip.  
"You can't die before getting your revenge, right? Undo it. Tiara boy over there isn't even your target."  
A tense silence followed.  
"I said now, you-"

"Boss…" Levi intervened.  
"_What_?!" The thundered.  
"She, err… Can't do anything if you…"

The Varia Boss gritted his teeth and threw her onto the grass.

"Negate!" She hit the ground hard, rolling over and coughing. "Negate!"

Yet another roar was heard, and Bel began to cough up blood from a few meters away as Iri's box weapon returned to the protection of its box on her hip.

"That didn't take much, now did it…?" Xanxus drawled.

"You little-"  
Fran and Levi quickly grabbed the girl's arms from behind and immobilized her as she tried to lunge towards him.

"Get rid of the damned wires on her fingers." Their Boss said irately. "Little shit has too many tricks up her sleeve."  
"You're being rather talkative, heh." Iri gnashed her teeth together. Her pride was her weak point; to say that she wasn't fond of having it trampled over was an understatement. "I'd heard the brutal leader of the Varia didn't say much to his subordinates, much less incapacitate their opponents personally."

Thin trails of blood traveled down her fingertips as the wires were yanked off them.

After a slight shuffling sound from a few meters away:  
"Ushishishi… Shall we begin the interrogation?"  
A growl forced its way out of her throat when she heard the tiara boy's voice again.  
"You talk too much." The silver-haired intruder spat.

Bel had recovered from the shock rather quickly, and stood up to walk over to the girl.  
He roughly grabbed her chin and asked: "What the hell was that? That thing was not a box weapon… No box weapon can do that."  
"The hell should I tell you?" She yanked herself away from his grip. The Prince's fingers were icy cold. "You'll kill me after won't you?"  
"Ushishishi… No, the Prince likes to _play with his prey_… You're in for some fun commoner..."

He took the ring off her finger and looked at it.  
"Mm, too bad we don't have a Cloud guardian, neh… But, you're only using a C rank ring. More bark than bite."  
The blonde threw it on the grass behind him.

Fran stared at the ring. It shone in the dim moonlight, but it was in bad condition; on the verge of cracking down the middle, actually. His fake prince senpai needed to clear his bangs out of his eyes for a moment…

"_Demone nube_." Levi said.  
"What the hell are you babbling about, thunder freak?" The knife-user hissed.  
"It was her box weapon. A demon of a cloud attribute. She said so herself." (2)

"Oho," The Prince grinned again. "A demon? Do those even exist?"  
"You just experienced one first hand, didn't you, tiara boy?"  
"How'd you do it?"  
"Like I said," Iri gave him only a cold glare in response. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Oi, fake prince senpai…" Fran drawled. "You're wasting time."  
The irritated blonde threw usual knives at his uncute kouhai and they pierced his hat.  
"Itaiiii, senpai, that hurts." The frog's expression didn't twitch in the slightest. "But, Bel senpai, all the pieces are there. It's a demon that binds people to do their conditions. Weren't you listening to her talking?"  
"I'm sorry I was too busy _dying_, insolent frog." The irked response came.

Xanxus suddenly began talking.  
"Trash, get out of the way." His expression was unreadable.

Bel froze and clenched his fists before slowly moving to the side. He'd never been too good with taking orders. Or being called trash for that matter.

The scarred man roughly grabbed the hair of the captive girl and forced her to look up at him.  
"That demon of yours. It makes others bend to your will doesn't it?"  
"I'm not obligated to tell you anything." She spat venomously, eyes shining with rage much like his own.

"Oh?" The Varia boss questioned. He grabbed the stupid shark's arm –he'd been standing a few meters away with crossed arms and knitted eyebrows, as if fighting his own battle within himself- and pulled him into a headlock, much like how he'd done to her, digging his gun into the temple of their swordsman. "But I can make you, can't I?"

An expression of confusion slapped itself on Squalo's face.  
"You're bluffing." She said, disgusted.  
"Try me, trash."

"And you." Iri looked to her estranged cousin. "You're gonna fricking take that?"  
"I owe him." The shark muttered, refusing to meet anyone's eye at the moment. "If he asked, I'd give my life several times over."

A moment of absolute silence passed.

"I know your type." Xanxus hissed. "You need to settle this with your own two hands to die happy."  
Another pause.  
"Yes." The word tore itself from her throat. "That's how the demon works."

The Varia head didn't miss a beat.  
"Summon your demon and use it on yourself."

This time everyone was too surprised to move.  
If they weren't the esteemed Varia themselves, Xanxus was sure all of their jaws would have hit the ground in shock.  
After perhaps a full minute had passed, the captive found her voice again.

"Don't bullshit me." Iri said, barely suppressing the red that was threatening to overtake her vision. "What the hell makes you think I'll go along with that!"

"Your little vendetta, of course!" Xanxus laughed, cocking his gun. "I'm giving you ten seconds."  
"You bastard!" She snarled, trying to rip herself away from her captors; to no avail, of course.  
"Let out your goddamn demon cat, whatever the hell it is, you little shit." Their boss demanded. "Or he's done for."

* * *

_Let free the fly, and the Spider shall starve. This world has a natural order. Disrupting it causes chaos and destruction._

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

If you guys are confused about this… Remember Yamamoto's training with Reborn, before they went to raid the Millefiore's base in the future arc? Whenever Reborn shot paintballs at him, he cut him in half to prevent them from hitting him. This is sort of what Squalo and Iri are doing, except they're doing it together and Xanxus's shot is a lot bigger than a paintball ^_^

"_Dire ciao al mio demone nube" _means, "Say hello to my Cloud demon," in Italian.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys… I'm sorry I took so long to update. I didn't know what to write about. Er… Yeah. Read and review and the usual shizzle and accept my love.  
Please don't favorite without leaving a review. ;^; it makes me feel unloved. And I love you guys. ACCEPT MY LOOVE.  
I'm sorry I've had stressful week.  
Month.  
Life. =_=  
Oh and those ANs at the beginning of the story are important. Please read those. THEY'RE IMPORTANT. I LOVE YOU GUYS. REREAD CHAPTER 3, IT WAS REWRITTEN. **


	5. Chapter 5: Soap Opera

**AN: Hiiii guyysss! Thank you for the favorites and follows but but but ;^; please leave reviews. I really do value your input! It means so much to me. Yes I'm begging. I'm begging. T~T  
ANYWAYS.  
I Am Alys: Oh yeah. I knew that. I totally knew that. ^~^ Yeah, that's a Shingeko no Kyojin reference. Sharp, my friend. Thanks for the review! I'll definitely try to update more quickly!  
Nikess96: Sorry, did I give you a shoutout last time… Er… I love you. Keep reviewing. Bai.  
Yeah, guys, I updated/edited Chapter 4! I fixed small things like diction and immature language, and poor language usage. -3- The plot isn't any different though, so you shouldn't have to go back and read it again unless you thought my writing was as atrocious as I thought.  
ANYWHO.  
Please read and review!  
PLEEEEAAAASEEE. T^T It makes me sad when people favorite and then don't leave reviews. It's like, okay it's favorite-worthy but not quite review-worthy.  
Okay, onward! ^_^ Enjoy.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_The scarred man roughly grabbed the hair of the captive girl and forced her to look up at him.  
"That demon of yours. It makes others bend to your will doesn't it?"  
"I'm not obligated to tell you anything." She spat venomously, eyes shining with rage much like his own._

_"Oh?" The Varia boss questioned. He grabbed the stupid shark's arm –he'd been standing a few meters away with crossed arms and knitted eyebrows, as if fighting his own battle within himself- and pulled him into a headlock, much like how he'd done to her, digging his gun into the temple of their swordsman. "But I can make you, can't I?"_

_An expression of confusion slapped itself on Squalo's face.  
"You're bluffing." She said, disgusted.  
"Try me, trash."_

_"And you." Iri looked to her estranged cousin. "You're gonna fricking take that?"  
"I owe him." The shark muttered, refusing to meet anyone's eye at the moment. "If he asked, I'd give my life several times over."_

_A moment of absolute silence passed._

_"I know your type." Xanxus hissed. "You need to settle this with your own two hands to die happy."  
Another pause.  
"Yes." The word tore itself from her throat. "That's how the demon works."_

_The Varia head didn't miss a beat.  
"Summon your demon and use it on yourself."_

_This time everyone was too surprised to move.  
If they weren't the esteemed Varia themselves, Xanxus was sure all of their jaws would have hit the ground in shock.  
After perhaps a full minute had passed, the captive found her voice again._

_"Don't bullshit me." Iri said, barely suppressing the red that was threatening to overtake her vision. "What the hell makes you think I'll go along with that!"_

_"Your little vendetta, of course!" Xanxus laughed, cocking his gun. "I'm giving you ten seconds."  
"You bastard!" She snarled, trying to rip herself away from her captors; to no avail, of course.  
"Let out your goddamn demon cat, whatever the hell it is, you little shit." Their boss demanded. "Or he's done for."_

* * *

**Chapter 5:**** Soap Opera**

_The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep._

* * *

"Let go of me, you bastards," Their silver-haired captive hissed, literally baring her gritted teeth, yanking her arms away from the green-haired freak and the pierced umbrella boy with a vengeance.

Squalo shifted uncomfortably in his Boss's vice-like grip, reminding himself to breathe in and out, wondering when his sweet cousin suddenly became so bitter. He vaguely wondered if it was his fault. The swordsman had never considered himself the sentimental type. He might have been, when he was little but-

Wait no, that wasn't right, what with no father to teach him how to play ball or anything he _should have_ been there to teach him, and his mother only there to offer encouragement in the sparsest of means.

So honestly, he was never the most sentimental person. He was cold; at least he tried to be. Actually, no that wasn't right either. He was a hotheaded little shithead when he was little, and he still is, always carrying a little ball of rage with him wherever the hell he went.

He was never sad or feeling left out. If something upset him she shouted and screamed and kicked, and dragged any suckers that happened to be around him right down beside him. If he could not rise up to their standard, he would bring them down to his.

And for Squalo, it was the eternal question that always eluded him. When does one go from thinking that when he cannot save, he must destroy?

Okay it wasn't an eternal question either. Only after he'd dyed his hair red with the blood of countless, worthless mafia sycophants that one day it stained his silver hair a seemingly-innocuous shade of pale pink even after he showered did he realize what he had done, what he was doing.

And for someone like Squalo, that was the closest he'd ever get to a midlife crisis.

A few minutes standing in the shower stall pondering the meaning of life along with why the hell his hair was permanently dyed a pastel reddish hue and then shrugging it off along with the rest of the unanswered questions not unlike the one he'd been deliberating over.

Pathetic.

Especially for someone like him.

He still recalled the penultimate time he returned back home, the last time he would greet his mother and cousin and all the stupid village people normally. The next time he would greet them he'd be screeching and laughing and slashing away at their innards with shitloads of adrenaline pumping through his system.

He'd shouted at her.

'_Get off me brat!'_

'_Shut up, brat!'_

'_Don't cry, brat!'_

Again, he ambiguously wondered if that was why she hated him, and if that was why he couldn't kill her.

God, he'd been watching too many chick flicks and soap operas and cheesy tragedies and things of the sort.

It was the clichés like 'Did I tell her I loved her this morning?' that had suddenly forced his way into his mind –the very mind that usually did things impulsively without deliberation in the first place- as he stood over her shouting figure.

'_Do it! Do it now so I don't have to live the rest of my life hating you and your stupid Varia that you abandoned us for!__'_

She was shorter then; a good few inches shorter, with both eyes full of energy and sparkles and goddamn rainbows. She didn't hear the potential threat in every footfall then, and she didn't have to know how to pull the trigger on a gun, or how to swing a sword, or for god's sake, how to throw a seven-inch needle.

'_It's been a good sixteen years, Squalo.'_ His demons murmured softly. The swordsman had come to realize that he had quite a few. The only problem with his demons was that they didn't play nicely with any godforsaken bastard. Ever. And wasn't that what they were all truly searching for? Someone whose demons played nicely with theirs? _'What makes you think you were the reason she turned so bitter?_'

His eyes connected with his Boss's red ones for a few tense moments. Unfortunately for him, Squalo was not an expert at making friends. In fact, he was not an expert at anything but finding the most efficient way to gut someone with the least amount of blood. That was partially the reason why someone as mentally screwed up as Xanxus became something synonymous to his closest friend. A moment's glance was all either of them needed to realize what the other was thinking about.

The Varia head's eyes quickly narrowed and he cast his glance away. Immediately, Squalo could see the disgust in his eyes. Even over his first kill, the swordsman hadn't thought much over it. The unspoken question settled itself deep into the scarred man's subconscious. _What's so special about this broad? _

"She's my cousin." Squalo said simply, feeling the warmth of Xanxus against his back. He wished to god he could have said that his Boss _wouldn't_ shoot a bullet clear through his skull with confidence, but to be completely honest, Squalo couldn't put it past him.

"What's she here for?"  
"Beats me."

"You suck at lying, stupid shark."  
"Well ask her yourself you little shit, she's standing right in front of you."

The shark exhaled slowly as he felt the arm around his neck tighten to an uncomfortable degree. Xanxus's left forearm pressed harshly into his windpipe, his right hand holding a gun flush to the side of his head.

"Call it out." The scarred man ordered, staring at the girl.

The shark only cast his glance downward and tsked.

The girl didn't move, but instead, grit her teeth and clenched her hands onto fists shutting her eyes, as if deliberating.

He could feel the bitter rage surrounding her; it was almost palpable. He could almost taste her frustration, threatening to consume her. They were only cousins but they shared blood and for some reason, the two shared the fact that they absolutely could not stand the feeling of being cornered.

She was so different. Not ravaged, but twisted and bent out of proportion from the way she used to be, by the relentless forces of time.

When they were young and the world was theirs, Squalo had always had to blink several times whenever they met. It was not that she was bright; that was the most cliché-ass thing you could ever say. It was just that she was always smiling. Didn't her goddamn face ache after smiling for sixteen hours a day? His did just from staring at hers. It was sickening. It was sickeningly beautiful.

"Squalo-anii," She'd asked. "What's pity?"

The young prodigy snorted. "It's called a dictionary, brat."

"But you're right here and you obviously know what it is…" They'd been sitting side by side on a rickety swing set. Iri stood up and glared at him, pouting with both hands on her hips.  
"Oi, oi," Squalo said exasperatedly, scratching the back of his head and sighing. "You're such a freakin' handful." He swung back and forth a bit, but not by much. It was just a comforting rocking motion. "Sit down and I'll explain."

Pity was like, feeling bad for someone, he'd said. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely wasn't a good thing.  
"Why isn't it a good thing?" A different look had supplanted the happiness in her eyes.

Squalo had opened his mouth to answer but she interrupted him again.

"Is that what happens when you cry? People pity you?"  
"Voi!" Squalo exclaimed indignantly. "I don't cry, brat, speak for yourself!"  
"Anii," Iri leaned her head back, rolling her eyes. "I didn't literally mean _you_."

A tense pause passed before she began speaking again, this time as quietly as she could.

"Why does Mami hate being pitied so much?"

Squalo didn't miss a heartbeat, much to the suprise of his cousin. "Goddammit, so many questions." He tsked, standing up off the swing abruptly and making his way out of the park. His hair was a normal length for a man's at the time, but even then, he was always carrying a sword around.

Iri watched him carefully as he kicked up mulch as he walked.

"Well, brat? Aren't you coming?"

The small girl forgot everything else as her usual grin split her facial features. She stood up even faster than her cousin had and raced after him, grabbing his hand as soon as she caught up with him.

"I like it when Squalo-anii is like this." She said.

"Pft, like what, bookworm? You're the one that's always…"

The sun had been setting that day, and everything was purple. The two walked down the dirt path back to their home. It wasn't a house; but at that point it was definitely a home.

The shark was never an intellectually gifted person. All he was good for was shouting, being angry, and hating the world. So this lonely shark cut down all of his binds and ties and abandoned that terrible world; he found another world of his own, much more to his liking. It only had six or seven people in it, but they were much more like him, only good for hating the world they all lived in. And so the lonely shark didn't have to be so lonely anymore.

And in spite of the fact that he undeniably thrived in that terrible world he used to live in, it was boring. He had confidants and friends and people he could go to that would help him forget the loneliness, but they were not like him. They couldn't possibly understand the euphoria of the power rush.

In the end the shark didn't answer any of his cousin's questions. He would have, had he known what his mission in the near future might have been. But he didn't, so he didn't tell his cousin why being on the receiving side of pity was such a terrible thing.

He never told his cousin it was terrible because you were helpless and alone and utterly weak in the eyes of the person who did the pitying. In the cruel world where the weak were cast aside and the strong were raised to glory, pity was nothing more than an insult to the very existence of someone and a heavy blow to their pride.

And now after sixteen years had passed, Squalo assumed that his cousin knew what pity was and why Mami hated it so. Yet, the shark felt that lonely pang in his chest return again and he felt him pitying her the way they all so despised.

There was a great pain in the eye of the once-little girl who wasn't so little anymore. Last he saw, she was nothing more than a fledgling shark that had not yet seen the terror of the steep drop straight to the ocean floor; the open water. Now he was surprised to find a mighty predator in the place of that fledgling shark, an awe-inspiring beast that swam alone and hunted those equally as mighty.

So when that mighty beast bent and lit flame to her ring, opening her box, Squalo could not help but feel his throat tighten.

With a ground-shaking roar, the feline they'd seen earlier came leaping out, its pelt cloaked in violet cloud flames. It was beautiful and terrifying, even more so than anyone he'd ever met. The muscles under its think pelt rippled with raw, concealed power and its probing eyes had an eerie quality. The feline stood tall, higher than Iri's shoulder, even on all fours, lashing its tail this way and that. Now that Squalo looked more carefully at it, it resembled a tiger more than anything else.

The mighty cat didn't open its jaw but everybody clearly heard its voice, overbearing, but full of authority: "_Make up your mind, insignificant brat_."

The swordsman could understand why Iri didn't like to open her box. He also understood why anyone who'd ever seen it was dead. It was a demon after all, and it was sentient; magnanimously so.

Suddenly the predator locked eyes with him and they narrowed in obvious dislike and hostility. "_Isn't this the bastard you were after for a good several years? What're you doing standing around?_"

Silence.

"_Answer me, mortal. You know I'm not known throughout the Underworld for my boundless patience."_

"It's complicated you ungrateful demon." She hissed.

When had everything she said suddenly become so cold, with such a hard edge?

"_Then explain it to me, trash!_"

"It seems like you two don't get along very well." Xanxus commented.  
"Our relationship is purely temporary, only for our own sake." The silver-haired girl glared at him. If looks could kill, the scarred man would have been nothing more than a pile of ash. "There is no reason that we should get _along_."

"_Worthless mundane_," a soft but threatening growl began in the back of the demon's throat. "_Why did you summon me if your intentions were to ignore me?_"

"You have forever to live, now shut up for a moment, freaking kitty cat." She muttered under her breath.

Iri did not object when she began to feel a nearly cautious tug in the recesses of her consciousness. Damn demon was sifting through her thoughts.

After awhile it subsided.

A subtle growl reverberated in the back of the demon's throat again. "_How will you get yourself out of this one, brat?_"

"I said to shut up and let me think."

"_Is you revenge really so important that you must stake your life on it like this?_"

"What the hell do you think you're-"

"Tell me how it works." Squalo felt the figure behind him speak.

"Demanding bastard aren't we?" She muttered under her breath.

"Ten." He said in response.

A look of genuine confusion flitted across Iri's eyes until she heard him say the next word.

"Nine."

A groan ripped itself from her lips and the girl pinched the bridge of her nose, genuinely exasperated.

"Eight."

"Goddammit I can't explain everything about the stupid cat in ten seconds!"

To everyone's surprise, Xanxus stopped counting and stared intently at the girl. "Then start, trash."

"It's name is Rajah."  
"How original."  
"Enough with the side comments, will you?!" She whipped around viciously, hand suddenly going to grip the handle on her sword.

"_Careful…_" The demon lashed its tail again, warningly.

She sighed and tried again; the malicious look in her eye had yet to fade away. "Its name is Rajah." She tried again. "It's a high-ranking crossroads demon (1) that I can utilize to maximize my benefit."

"So you place restrictions or conditions on people to make them do what you want."  
"That much is obvious." She scoffed.  
"What happens if they don't keep the condition?"

"They die, you dipshit."

This time the demon –Rajah or what_ever_- set its tail lightly on the girl's shoulder, growling in such a low tone that it almost sounded like a purr.

"How do you set the conditions?"

The girl had yet to remove her hand from the grip on her sword. Her knuckles became white from clenching it so tightly for such a long time.

"It's not in my liberty to tell how a demon operates."

"Don't spout that shit at me; you're the kind that can do anything when you set your mind to it."

Squalo absentmindedly wondered why Xanxus was going to such lengths to question the girl about the demon. He had said earlier that he wanted the one-eyed swordswoman to use the binding conditions on herself.

But in all honesty, wasn't simply disposing of the girl much easier than trudging through all of this?

It was an excuse and the shark knew it. At this point he didn't care who saw him, Squalo allowed himself to slump over so his hair covered his face and permitted his feelings to swamp him. It was just an excuse so that he didn't have to point his sword at his cousin a second time. He didn't want to be the one who killed her. But that was incredibly selfish of him.

"_Goddammit Xanxus cut the crap and just let her cut me down!_" Squalo didn't realize he was the one who'd shouted until several moments afterward.

He didn't look up; didn't look up to see what could have been mortified expressions or smug looks on his cousin or any of his teammates.

Squalo felt a harsh tug on his hair.

"Did I say you could give up yet, stupid shark?" A hoarse voice whispered in his ear. "You're _mine_, _my_ subordinate, and you listen to _me_." Xanxus spoke again before Squalo could interrupt. "What happened to your stupid loyalty?" He let go of Squalo's hair, letting his finger thread through it for a moment.

"I'm sorry I didn't understand watching you torment my cousin was inclusive in the package." He hissed.

"Don't you _dare_ go around making a show of trying to protect me sixteen years after you personally slashed out my eye, Squalo!" Iri shouted.

"This is not a fucking soap opera," He answered back. "There's no need for all this drama now let me-"

"Shut the hell up and tell me how you set the goddamn conditions, worthless scum, or I'm blowing his brains out."

His voice, his very presence was incredibly demanding.

After he was met with silence, the scarred man said: "Fucking detain her."

Levi and Fran quickly grabbed her arms again.

"Well fuck me if this isn't déjà vu."

Without loosening his grip on Squalo, the Varia head pointed the nose of his murder device at the girl and pulled the trigger.

Another incredible blast of pure, condensed energy flew by the girl, though much smaller than the last. It grazed her cheek, right under her good eye.

Xanxus resisted the urge to laugh.

The little shit hadn't even flinched.

"Voi! Goddammit, Xanxus!" Squalo bellowed.

"Tell me how the fucking conditions work, and I am not fucking bluffing this time little girl."

She sighed and cast a long glance over to Rajah, and after his subtle nod, she began to talk. "You get three freaking conditions and you initiate each by say 'first condition', 'second condition', and 'third condition'. To separate between conditions you complete each binding statement by saying 'finish'. Only one action can go into a condition, otherwise the condition is nullified and you're left with only two. These conditions are permanent. They last for a maximum to two years." She finished.

"Then use it on yourself."

It was as if the girl was bracing herself for those very words but hadn't quite received ample time to do so. She closed her eyes and looked away, doing that thing where she tensed up every part of her body; her face was scrunched up, eyes shut, teeth gritted, fists clenched.

"Ten." He began to count, gathering his flame in his x-gun.

What was the point of all of this, Squlao wondered, absolutely fed up by this point. Once again he was nothing more than a pawn at this point. A knight at the most; but honestly nothing more than a pawn for others to use and use against yet more others.

"Nine."

"State your motherfucking conditions." She said quietly.

If Xanxus had an easy button from Staples he would have smacked it.

The Varia head knew that the bonding restrictions had to be perfectly worded for this to work. After a pause, he began.

"First condition. You'll fill the place of the Varia's cloud guardian. This means you'll abide by the Varia's code and laws. Finsh."

Fran looked at Levi blankly. _What, we have a code, what_…?

"Second condition. You'll take orders from me only, and you'll obey them all unconditionally unless you judge they'll be harmful to the group. Finish."

Squalo only sighed and shifted slightly.

"Third condition. You have to stay within my sight at all times. Finish."

"Goddammit, is that all?" She yanked herself away from Levi and Fran.  
Squalo blinked in surprise at the fact that she could have done it any time she genuinely wanted to.

"Yes."

The feline demon's eerie marigold eyes focused only on its original owner. "_Are you really okay with this_?"

"I don't have much of a choice, Rajah." She muttered under her breath.

"_So you're just going to accept this, worthless trash?_"

"Yep. Now shut up and do it. You're free to go after this. Come back in the time we'd decided and I'll give you what we bargained for."

After a slight pause, the feline demon got on all four and hurled itself at the girl, disappearing into a large puff of cloud flames right before hitting her.

Much like how Bel had done, she skidded back at least 25 feet.

The girl's reaction was not quite as unsightly as the blonde prince's, perhaps already having braced herself for the lack of air that wound ensue.

After a few seconds, she inhaled deeply and coughed a few times, falling to her knees and hacking up blood.

"It's done." She said, getting back on her feet, wiping her mouth on her sleeve and composing herself again. "Now what exactly is this code you go by here?"

"Don't attack any other members with intent to kill. Take orders without whining." Xanxus paused. "Don't make mistakes on missions. Kill, get money."

Other than the fact that she looked like someone had ruffled her feathers a bit, no one would have guessed she'd just clashed head on with the Vongola's assassination squad.

"The hell are you all looking at me like that." Xanxus tsked, throwing the stupid shark on the grass. "Dawn's about to break get your lazy asses to bed and be ready for tomorrow's mission, scum."

Only after standing there like dumfounded idiots for a few moments each of the elite members begin to scrawl away, back into the mansion.

In the end, Xanxus stood there, gun in hand with his jacket draped over his shoulders locked in a staring contest of all things, with this sassy girl of thirty years he'd met today. The broad was supposed to be the cloud guardian from here on out.

"Welcome to the family, you little shit."

* * *

_Two rules that will lead you to success. One: never reveal everything you know._

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

**AN: OH MY GOD THAT WAS FUCKING EXHAUSTING I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER WAS SO SLOPPY I CAN'T EVEN THIS WAS SO BAD. I'm sorry. T^T. I tried, I swear, I totally tried. I tried really hard. Oh and I totally forgot about Bel this chapter, I'm sorry, I'm too lazy to go back and edit it, so can we just pretend he's there, standing by the sidelines? Please? Dammit. Please read and review and tell me what confused the hell out of you because I'm sure something did. PLEASE REVIEW I'LL LOVE YOU FOR LIFE PLEASE.**

**Okay thanks have a nice day. ^_^**


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